I also vote for 23. Instapundit had in interesting link regarding selfish super powers. I'd like either (1) the ability to make anyone speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth; (2) the ability to understand all languages that have ever been used (written and spoken).

I went looking to see if there had been any previous super power threads here, and found this 2007 post from Meade:

And if she did go on a first date with a commenter, say, a commenter such as AJD? you know, out of a sense of compassion or, well, pity... trust ME on this one, Mr. Diggler... there is NO WAY that Professor A would agree to a second date.

But there is no trick here, and there is nothing other than oranges in the bowl. There is no false bottom on the bowl. It is a bowl filled with oranges. You are just not guessing the number of oranges. The oranges are all the same size too!

Just a thought. Althouse, if someone had told you last December that on this day, you would be make a video counting out the number of oranges in a bowl--oranges that your husband squeezes each morning for fresh juice--how would you have reacted?

t-man said... "Just a thought. Althouse, if someone had told you last December that on this day, you would be make a video counting out the number of oranges in a bowl--oranges that your husband squeezes each morning for fresh juice--how would you have reacted?"

I see 16-18 at least partly visible. Given the volume inside the bowl is much smaller than the top of the bowl, there shouldn't be more oranges unseen than seen, so that gives an upper limit between 32-36 with the actual number most likely lower.

I see guesses covering every number in that range

Single number guesses in that range that have been verified as incorrect (in order first guessed):

25,24,19,23,26,18,32,27,21,20

Those guesses proceeded a comment that "You're all still wrong!"

22

Another comment, "Wrong!"

31,30,29

Another comment, "Come on people!"

Numbers not verified as incorrect under 36.

28, 33, 35, 36.

My guess 28.

Doesn't seem possible to be greater than 36, and it seems that the first guess by Ricardo was probably on track, but everyone else was thrown off track because they assumed all three numbers in the 28-30 range were verified as incorrect, when that's not the case.

@Jason I had to take them out to count them, then put them back in. In fact, Meade also took them out to check my work, and we took still pics with them on the counter. Then we put them back for video, during which I noticed that one stray. I think it would have been easy to pile another 10 oranges into the bowl. Another 2 days' worth of lovely Meade-made juice.